"Drove gated Forest Service Road 338 from Stanley Gap to Stanley Creek in the SUV a few months ago (May 28), but wasn't sure about fording the creek, so turned around and came back in the Jeep Wrangler a couple of times (June 12), only to find the gate closed. Today the gate was open, and I was glad to be in the Jeep because after fording Stanley Creek the tires started slipping up the steep road, so I shifted into 4WD to get up that section, 2WD the rest of the trip. Stopped for lunch by the side road to Big Bald Mountain, and after lunch hiked the gated road, stepping over a blowdown, to the first gap between Big Bald Mountain and Little Bald Mountain. The gap had been mowed of most of the tall briars before the blowdown blocked the gated side road. I hope to come back another day to bag Big Bald Mountain, Rich Mountain, and Tickanetley Bald, but I was so close to the peak of Little Bald Mountain, I couldn't resist bushwhacking up when I got back to the blowdown. Zig-zagged a lot going up through the tall briars, but found an old road bed on the way back down. Didn't see it before because the intersection with the road to the gap had been bulldozed into a little mound, so lo..." — davidensley • Nov 9, 2024